decrease

[ verb dih-krees; noun dee-krees, dih-krees ]

verb (used without object)

, de·creased, de·creas·ing.

1. to diminish or lessen in extent, quantity, strength, power, etc.:

   During the ten-day march across the desert their supply of water decreased rapidly.

   Synonyms: abate, contract, decline, lessen, wane

   Antonyms: expand, increase

verb (used with object)

, de·creased, de·creas·ing.

1. to make less; cause to diminish:

   to decrease one's work load.

noun

1. the act or process of decreasing; condition of being decreased; gradual reduction:

   a decrease in sales;

   a decrease in intensity.

   Synonyms: subsidence, decline, abatement

2. the amount by which a thing is lessened:

   The decrease in sales was almost 20 percent.

decrease

verb

1. to diminish or cause to diminish in size, number, strength, etc

noun

1. the act or process of diminishing; reduction
2. the amount by which something has been diminished

Derived Forms

• deˈcreasingly, adverb
• deˈcreasing, adjective

Other Words From

• unde·creased adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of decrease¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb decresen, from Old French decreiss-, long stem of decreistre, from Latin dēcrēscere “to diminish,” literally “to grow down,” equivalent to dē- de- + crēscere “to grow”); noun derivative of the verb; crescent

Word History and Origins

Origin of decrease¹

C14: from Old French descreistre, from Latin dēcrescere to grow less, from de- + crescere to grow

Synonym Study

Decrease, diminish, dwindle, shrink imply becoming smaller or less in amount. Decrease commonly implies a sustained reduction in stages, especially of bulk, size, volume, or quantity, often from some imperceptible cause or inherent process: The swelling decreased daily. Diminish usually implies the action of some external cause that keeps taking away: Disease caused the number of troops to diminish steadily. Dwindle implies an undesirable reduction by degrees, resulting in attenuation: His followers dwindled to a mere handful. Shrink especially implies contraction through an inherent property under specific conditions: Many fabrics shrink in hot water.

Example Sentences

Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said the decline was a result of an effort to decrease gang violence.

From The Daily Beast

That indicated a relatively rapid increase in methane, followed by an equally fast decrease.

From The Daily Beast

Neighboring Guinea and Liberia, said WHO, were presenting evidence of a decrease in cases.

From The Daily Beast

In his mind, this is only as problematic as the decrease in international support that it may cause.

From The Daily Beast

“The sense down there is we have to understand what [this decrease] is,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic tells The Daily Beast.

From The Daily Beast

In mild cases a slight decrease of hemoglobin is the only blood change noted.

From Project Gutenberg

It is evident that an absolute increase of any variety may be accompanied by a relative decrease.

From Project Gutenberg

The infectious diseases in which leukocytosis is absent (p. 160) often cause a slight decrease of leukocytes.

From Project Gutenberg

The decrease affects chiefly the polymorphonuclear cells, so that the lymphocytes are relatively increased.

From Project Gutenberg

There is decided decrease of hemoglobin and red corpuscles, with moderate leukopenia and relative lymphocytosis.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• contraction
• cutback
• decline
• discount
• downturn
• loss
• reduction
• shrinkage